[March 03, 2015]

Arpent Technologies: Your Roads, Connected

Rivada Networks today announced the formation of Arpent Technologies, a new business that will revolutionize the way our roads and bridges are used and paid for.

"Arpent leverages Rivada's highly accurate location-finding technology and dynamic pricing to change the paradigm for infrastructure finance," CEO Declan Ganley said, speaking from the floor of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Prof. Richard Geddes, Director of the Cornell Program in Infrstructure Policy, explained the need for a new approach: "We tax fossil fuels to pay for our roads," Prof. Geddes notes. "But with rising fuel economy and ever-more electric vehicles, this model is unsustainable." He adds: "Arpent's technology has the potential to provide a reliable, adequate funding source to transform the way our road infrastructure system is funded."

Arpent's patent-pending technology can replace fuel taxes, tollgates and even transponder-based systems with real-time information on road use, accurate down to specific lane use. Thanks to Rivada's patented Enhanced Location-Based Services, this precision is possible even where no GPS signal is directly available. Location can be keyed either to a driver's cell-phone or to the growing number of "connected cars," which have mobile-network radios built in.

Accurate real-time information about road use facilitates dynamic road-use pricing that can both intelligently manage demand at peak times and provide the revenue needed to maintain and expand aging infrastructure.

"Roads and highways are keys to the economic growth of all nations," says Dr. Juan Jose Daboub, Former Managing Director of the World Bank Group and Former Minister of Finance of El Salvador. "For emerging economies it is particularly crucial for poverty alleviation and social well being. Competitiveness of the private sector depends on a well-built and -run infrastructure." Dr. Daboub adds: "Arpent is positioning itself as a trailblazer in terms of planning, paying for and financing roads and highways in a way that is fair, practical, transparent, competitive and technologically savvy. I look forward to their progress."

The idea of replacing our current fuel taxes with a road-use charge or mileage-based user fee has been around for some time. But Arpent's approach goes beyond the simple mileage-based approaches in use or being trialed in certain locations. It uses real-time data about road use to manage congestion and help keep traffic moving and ensure that those who use our most valuable infrastructure help pay for its upkeep.

"Roads are the original network technologies," Mr. Ganley says. "It's only natural that we take advantage of the wireless networking revolution to start treating our roads like the networked systems they are. We at Arpent look forward to the day that the toolbooth seems as quaint as the corner phonebooth."

Note to reporters: Messrs. Geddes and Daboub are members of the board of directors of Arpent Technologies. Arpent is a subsidiary of Rivada Networks.

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